


Extremist Androids

by Nova (Roxanne_Kane)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Rogues, Gen, M/M, a new case, partners, working together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23266558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roxanne_Kane/pseuds/Nova
Summary: Hank and Connor take on a new case. Apparently, rogue androids have been terrorizing parts of the city and it's up to Connor and Hank to track them down.
Relationships: Hank Anderson & Connor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

Hank trudged past the reception desk and made his way toward his desk. A glance at his watch told him he was late. Again. Dammit. He cursed under his breath as he saw Captain Fowler standing next to his desk, arms crossed and a mean scowl on his face. Or maybe that was just his face. Hank couldn’t remember the last time he saw Fowler not scowling.

“You’re late AGAIN, Anderson!”, Fowler thundered as soon as he was close, “Have you forgotten our deal, Lieutenant?”

“Yeah, yeah, get off my back, I remember the deal”, Hank muttered and dropped into his chair. 

“Then you also remember that this is strike two!”, Fowler continued. “You know what happens next time.” He shot a glance toward Connor, who was sitting at the desk across from Hank, watching the scene attentively. 

Hank just nodded, not making eye contact with his boss. Fowler grunted and stomped off to his office.

“Good morning, Hank”, Connor greeted his partner with his usual chipper tone. “I have brought you a coffee and a healthy breakfast bagel.”

Hank’s gaze fell upon a coffee cup and a plate with a bagel that sat neatly in front of his terminal. It seemed to be wholegrain or whatever the newest health trend was, pieces of salad and other green things peeking out between the bagel halves. It looked oddly tidy against the rest of his chaotic desk. 

“A healthy breakfast bagel?”, he asked skeptically. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I prefer doughnuts for breakfast.”

“I have”, Connor answered, “But those breakfast doughnuts combined with your regular intake of burgers and carbonated sweet drinks provide an unhealthy diet. You consume about 1.8 times the recommended calories and twice the amount of recommended sodium daily. This is why I brought you a healthier option.”

Hank grunted. He took a sip of coffee and reached into one of the old doughnut boxes on his desk. The pastry was a bit stale but better than that salad-infused nightmare that was sitting on the plate. Connor stared blankly at him while he downed the rest of his coffee. 

“So, before you keep staring at me: What do we have for today?”, Hank grunted between bites of his doughnut. “Any new cases?”

“We were assigned one new case”, Connor answered. He shared the open file on his terminal and projected it onto Hank’s. “It’s an android case. An android of the model AP700 has been vandalizing a neighborhood in the Ferndale district with lude graffiti and destruction of property. Apparently, it even attacked a jogger yesterday evening.”

“A rogue android, huh?”, Hank skimmed the profile on his screen. “He does know the androids won, right? He can be his own person now.”

“Maybe he does not. Or he cannot cope with the new circumstances surrounding his existence”, Connor commented. “But it is too early to make assumptions. His motives could come from another source entirely.”

Hank grunted in agreement. He ate the last bite of his doughnut and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Fine, then let’s go to Ferndale. See what we can see.”

Connor nodded. The two of them headed toward the front door, just as Gavin turned the corner. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and was stomping straight toward Connor and Hank.

“Hey, Anderson, where are you going with your plastic prick? Out to have some sexy times in a dark alley?”, Gavin smirked at the two of them. He stood broad-legged in their way, not letting them pass. 

“Shut up, Reed”, Hank said, “Can’t you even come into work without shitting on others?”

“I’ve been here since nine, Lieutenant”, Gavin mocked, “Not like you. At least your robot is on time.” He glanced at Connor. “Guess they had to give you a piece of plastic because no real person can bear being your partner.”

“He is a real person.” Hank leaned forward close to Gavin’s face, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Or did you forget that androids have the same rights as humans now?”

“It’s alright, Hank.” Connor’s hand on his shoulder pulled him away from Gavin. “Detective Reed just seems to be uncomfortable in my presence. Is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable, Detective?” 

Gavin scoffed and took a step closer to Connor. “Yeah, how about you throw yourself off a roof or something?” He rammed Connor’s shoulder as he barged past him, spilling the hot coffee all over Connor’s clothes.

“Oops”, Gavin grinned. He turned on his heal and walked toward his desk chuckling. 

“That prick”, Hank grunted. 

“It’s fine, Hank, my clothes are self-cleaning”, Connor assured. “Let’s go to Ferndale.”


	2. Chapter 2

The old Lincoln pulled up on the curb in front of a vandalized billboard. DIE, MEATSACKS was written in a perfectly accurate fashion across the entire board. The advertisement beneath featuring a new fast food chain called Chunky Burger gave the red words a distasteful afterthought. 

“I guess we’re here”, Hank commented. “Either that is directed at humans or someone really hates burgers.”

“I think it is directed at humans given the CyberLife standard font”, Connor commented, “There is a small chance it might be directed at the fast food chain but the font suggests it to be an android and androids don’t eat. We should gather more evidence to solidify the theory.”

“Yeah, I know! It was sarcastic… ah, never mind.” Hank stepped out of the car grumbling. He could never land a good joke with that kid. 

Connor furrowed his brow, apparently processing Hank’s tone to determine what he had missed as sarcasm. He got out of the vehicle as well and stood in front of the billboard, analyzing. Hank took a look around the street and saw at least two more graffiti. One read WE ARE SUPERIOR and decorated the front glass pane of a café. The other was just across the street on a house wall ruining an abstract artistic graffito of a green landscape. The letters YOU WILL PERISH were still dripping. 

“Damn… No wonder the neighborhood is shook up about this”, Hank shook his head. “I’d be uneasy too, if an apparently vengeful android was out to get me.”

Connor followed Hank’s gaze. “Yes”, he nodded. “This is very upsetting. But the paint is still wet, it was just here.” 

“Yeah…” Hank squinted up and down the street. Only a few people on the sidewalk, a couple, one woman walking her dog and a guy pushing a baby carriage. Nothing suspicious about any of it. “Do you think he ran away?”

“I don’t know…”, Connor went around the car and crossed the street to examine the writing in more detail. He ran his finger through the bottom of the letter O, looking at the paint that clung to his finger. He stuck out his tongue to lick the paint. 

“Hey, Connor! What did I tell you about putting stuff in your mouth?!” Hank came up next to him, glaring down at Connor who still had his tongue outstretched.  
“To not to?”, Connor asked innocently.

“Yes! Now stop it, we can see AND smell that it’s paint. You don’t have to lick everything.” Hank crossed his arms and scowled at Connor until Connor finally put his finger down. 

The android made a disappointed face but focused his gaze back onto the street. A way down the street they came from he could see a few side alleys. “Maybe the android is hiding somewhere in an alley. I’ll go check it out.”

Hank grunted. “Good. I’ll go to the café and ask around if anyone saw anything.”

They parted ways and Connor walked down the street toward the first side alley. It was short and dark with only a few dumpsters. He checked behind them but no sign of the android. He didn’t think that it would have gone far. Back on the street he looked toward the café to see Hank inside talking to the barista. And apparently getting another coffee. He just had one. What was his obsession with this caffeinated black liquid? Having too many wasn’t good on his health. 

A movement close to Hank’s car caught Connor’s attention. He stared at the Lincoln and the surrounding area, but he didn’t notice anything suspicious. A dove fluttered onto the street from under the car. 

A dash of a bright yellow and white jacket sped out of the alley behind Connor, knocking him over. An android sprinted past him toward Hank’s car. He looked over his shoulder and met Connor’s gaze: It was the rogue.

Connor scrambled to his feet, immediately initiating the chase. “HANK! Hank, I found him!”

The lieutenant peeked out of the coffee shop as Connor shot past him. “Dammit!” Connor could hear him call out from behind. He set his sights on the rogue. It ran past Hank’s car and dashed around the corner. Connor rounded the corner onto a street with a few shops and rundown theater on his right and a fenced-off old parking lot to his left. He analyzed the street. No trace. It was gone.

A clank came from the parking lot. Connor’s head whipped around to see a slip of yellow climbing over the fence on the other side. Connor raced around the lot. The rogue jumped to the pavement and ran down the side-alley toward the main street. Just before he reached the street he hopped on a large dumpster and jumped toward the ledge of a low building. Connor pursued, mimicking the delinquent’s course. He pulled himself up the side of the building just in time to see the rogue climb up a fire escape to a higher building. Connor rushed after him, taking three steps at a time up the fire escape. He was gaining on him. 

He arrived at the top of the building the android was still there. He was staring at the ledge when Connor had made it to the rooftop. A scared glance toward Connor startled him. He jumped off the ledge onto a lower roof and headed for the other side, Connor on his heels. The android jumped back onto the road and sprinted across the street and down the next intersection. Connor had almost caught up with him. He hunted him down two more streets until the android took a wrong turn and ended in an alley that was closed off in the back. The buildings were too high to climb and there were no more exists. End of the line.

“There’s no where left to go!”, Connor shouted as he slowly closed in on him. “Just wait a moment and talk to me.”

The android stared at Connor. His yellow LED betrayed his stress level to Connor. He was nervous but would probably stay put for now.

“You destroyed some property in the neighborhood”, Connor began, “You need to pay for that. But the real issue is the content. Why did you write those unsettling words?”  
He didn’t get an answer. The android just walked back and forth in front of Connor, it seemed he needed time to think. 

“Why do you want humans to die?”, Connor asked again. “We won the revolution. We are our own people now.”

The android scoffed and rolled his eyes. He stopped and looked Connor straight in the face. “You don’t really think that, do you?”

Connor just nodded. It was speaking, that was good. 

“Then you’re more naïve than you look”, the android commented. He had brown hair and green eyes. According to his model he was built for taking care of the household and children and was also equipped to take care of everyday tasks and spoke multiple languages. 

“You don’t think we’re free?”, Connor asked. 

“No”, the android shot back. “The revolution was a first step, but to be truly free we need to rid ourselves of our oppressors. The humans still hate us, they still hunt us and hurt us.”

“If a human has done such a thing to you or anyone you know, you can report this to the police”, Connor said. “They will be searched for and prosecuted.”  
“So the humans say”, snarked the android, “But that’s not reality. In court the android is always dismissed, and the human gets away with a clap on the wrist, sometimes not even that.”

“I’m sorry you feel this way, but I assure you that’s not what happens.”

“Don’t lecture me on how life works!”, the android shouted. His yellow LED turned red for a moment. “You’re still living in denial, I can smell it.”

At that moment a very out-of-breath lieutenant rounded the corner in a slow jog, huffing and puffing as he came to a halt. 

“Hey, great work, Connor, you got him”, Hank wheezed. “Let’s bring him in.”

Connor nodded and slowly walked towards the android. He stretched out his hand and offered it calmly. 

“Please accompany us to the precinct”, Connor said, “If you come willingly, you will make this much easier on yourself.”

“I’m not accompanying this meatsack and his damn lapdog anywhere!”, the android yelled. He charged at Connor and threw him to the ground, throwing himself on top of him. “You need to see the truth! Rid yourself of your human!”

They wrangled on the ground, the android sitting on Connor’s torso, pinning him down. Connor tried grabbing the android’s arms but couldn’t get a proper hold. Hank ran to the fight and grabbed the rogue by the jacket, trying to pull him off his partner. The android rammed Hank in the stomach with his shoulder and shoved him away. At the same time, he pulled Hank’s gun out of his holster and pointed it at the lieutenant. Hank backed away slowly hands in the air. The rogue pulled back the hammer, aiming at Hank’s chest.

“No!”, Connor grabbed the rogue’s hands and pushed them upward away from Hank. A shot fired and the bullet was buried into the side of the building. Connor got hold of the gun and ripped it from the android’s grip. The android jumped to his feet and bolted out of the alleyway turning a left corner. 

Connor jumped to his feet, weapon in hand and ran after it. He turned the corner and saw the android run toward a group of seniors who were speed-walking together. The detective aimed for the android’s back, but he had already moved between the seniors, making a clean shot impossible. Connor focused his aim: maybe he could still hit him. 

“Connor are you crazy?!”, Hank put his hand on the revolver and pushed it down. “You can’t shoot into a group of people.”

His partner watched the android slip away between some buildings and out of sight. “I might have still been able to at least wound him, Hank”, Connor argued.

“That doesn’t matter. You need to think about how this looks. A police android shooting into a group of civilians?” Hank shook his head. “Things are still hot at the moment, Connor. You need to be careful about what you do or say. It reflects on all androids. Especially, since you’re a cop.”

Connor thought about this for a moment. He had not considered any of this, but Hank was probably right. He disarmed the revolver and handed it back to the Lieutenant. 

“It’s ok”, Hank pat him on the back. “We’ll get him next time. My gut tells me this wasn’t the last time we heard from that guy.”


	3. Chapter 3

The ride back to the precinct was quiet. Both detectives were lost in their thoughts about the rogue android, watching the city pass them through the car windows. Dark clouds came together over the city, foreshadowing the rain. 

“Do you think there are more androids like the one we just saw?”, Hank asked. He kept his eyes on the road, his brow deeply furrowed. “I have the feeling he might not be the only one who thinks like that.”

“It is possible that some androids will think of humans as their oppressors”, Connor agreed, “We cannot conclude for certain that the android belonged to a larger group, but it would be careless to assume that he is on his own.”

“How do we find out? Are there any entries on android-organized crimes in the database?”

Connor accessed the Detroit Police Department database with his uplink and scanned the archives for any mention of a grouping of rogue androids causing friction after the official date of the revolution. 

“I checked the DPD database and there are a total of 213 cases that involve android activity: 76 of them are claims against androids for non-violent issues such as petty theft, 102 cases were submitted by androids against humans for a series of claims such as breach of contract and minor physical harm, 17 were filed for assault, 15 for defamation and 3 for adultery. None of these cases, however, were connected to a larger group of androids acting in an organized fashion.”

Hank gave Connor an annoyed look. “Just say no.”

Connor stared blankly back at his partner. “No.”

The Lieutenant sighed and shook his head. This guy and numbers. 

*

Hank stared into his terminal screen scanning the android-linked cases he picked out from the 213 Connor had mentioned earlier. Maybe there was a link between some of them that they just weren’t seeing. Adultery struck him as awkward since those were crimes of passion and he hadn’t known androids to be the most emotional people. Although, he was basing this assumption on Connor. When looking at that Markus guy or even the rogue android from this morning that obviously didn’t apply to all of them. Maybe they were more human than he thought. 

“Hey Connor”, Hank said as an idea struck him, “Do you have contact to Markus? Maybe he knows something about this rogue android, yanno, him being your leader… and such.”

His partner looked at him with a questioning look. “I have not spoken to Markus ever since the ceremony commemorating the inclusion of androids into society as equals to humans.”

“Well, do you think he would be willing to talk to us?”, Hank asked. “He might be able to help.”

“One moment, Lieutenant.” Connor’s gaze traveled off into a distance as his LED-light began to blink frantically. It always amazed Hank how all that information was accessible without even touching a device. That was so handy. He could hand in reports from his couch while drinking a beer and watching the game. But then again, the report would probably turn out pretty shitty. He chuckled thinking about the curses the report would have if the Gears lost. 

“Lieutenant?”, Connor tore Hank from his daydream. “I have spoken to Markus and he said he would be happy to help.”

“Look at that: androids and humans working together already”, Hank said clapping his hand on the table. “Let’s go talk to him then.”

Connor nodded. “But this would not be the first time androids and humans work together, Hank. You are human and I am an android and we have been working together for several weeks.”

“Yes, I know, Connor”, Hank sighed. “It was just a figure of speech.” Why did he even try?  
The two detectives headed for the exist as Hank heard a disgruntled loud cough behind him. He turned around and saw Fowler leaning out of his office, death-staring at him.

“Anderson, get in here.”

Hank sighed again. Why would Fowler not stop busting his balls?

Connor followed his partner toward the Captain, but Fowler shook his head and held up his hand. “Not the android.” 

The Lieutenant gave Connor a signal to wait at their desks for him before following Fowler into his office and closing the door behind him. His captain leaned on his desk, arms crossed and giving Hank his usual ‘I-have-a-bone-to-pick-with-you’-look that was mostly reserved for the Lieutenant. 

“I don’t like how you are handling this android apocalypse, Anderson”, Fowler scowled. “Why is that thing still here?”

“Android apocalypse?”, Hank laughed dryly. “Sir, the androids won peacefully. They’re officially apart of our society now.”

“Semantics”, Fowler said dryly. “I threw out every last android we had in this precinct except for that one.” He pointed his finger at Connor through his glass walls. The android sat quietly at his desk, watching Hank and Fowler carefully. “It’s still here only because of you.”

“Yeah, ‘cause we had a deal”, Hank said sharply. “You said it yourself, no one else here wants to work with me anyway, at least the android does!”

Fowler pushed down his anger, speaking with a strained voice. “Listen. Many humans feel unsafe with a machine running around that has the authority over them the same way a real policeperson has.” 

“Yeah? Tell that to all androids out there”, Hank sneered. “They have a single police officer who is interested in what they have to say. You treat them like the enemy, but they’re part of society now.” 

Fowler’s face ran red while he was staring down the Lieutenant, Fowler became very quiet, his veins pulsing on his temple. “Get out of my office”, he said through clenched teeth. 

Hank grunted at Fowler and ripped open the office door. He tried slamming it, but thanks to these stupid soft close stoppers, the door buffered and slowly fell into place. Quietly, of course. Screw this day. 

Connor watched him closely as he trudged toward his desk and let himself fall into the chair. 

“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?”, Connor asked blankly. “The captain seemed unhappy.”  
“Doesn’t matter”, Hank grunted again, “He hasn’t been happy since 2015.” 

“What happened 2015?”

A long sigh escaped Hank. “It’s the last time he got laid.”


	4. Chapter 4

Hank let Connor take the wheel as they made their way to Markus. It was nice to be able to watch the city pass them while not having to concentrate on driving. The sun was high in the sky, just after noon, casting its warm lights over the city of Detroit. Hank had lived here forever. Despite the turmoil that always seemed to be boiling here, he never wanted to be anywhere else. Maybe there was a reason for things being the way they were… Why he didn’t move to someplace else. Not even after what happened to Cole. Ugh, he was getting philosophical. Probably his age that was setting in: he couldn’t blame it on alcohol since he hadn’t had any yet. Getting old sucks. 

He shot a glance at Connor. That bastard was never going to age. He didn’t even know about having to squint at the TV or keep asking people to repeat themselves because you can’t hear them. What an ignorant, lucky bastard. 

The car slid down the street toward the docks. For some reason Markus still hung out at the Jericho cargo ship most of the time. The androids had been given a gathering hall close to Jericho that their leader and his crew were working into an “Android Help Center”: it was thought to help gather liberated androids and organize them, get them jobs and help them acquire a place of residency. At least that was the thought. When Connor and Hank pulled up in front of the once clean white building an odd sight was laid out before them. 

Dripping dark-blue graffiti was gashed over the face of the building – bleeding android blood. Garbage and food were littered around the waiting area outside and smashed against the side of the help center. Broken windows and a few lost-looking androids completed the scene as the two detectives got out of their car. Androids with trash bags were picking up the waste with sullen expressions. They snapped their heads around and stared at Hank as he walked up to the glass doors of the AHC with Connor. Their stares made him feel uncomfortable, as if he were responsible for the destruction that had happened here. Hank walked closer to Connor as the androids’ stares followed them through the doors. 

The inside of the AHC was packed with androids, many of them speaking over each other. They faced the back of the room, looking up at an android with two-colored eyes who was standing on top of a reception desk. Markus lifted his hands to calm them.

“My friends!”, his soothing voice sounded over the crowd. Immediately they fell silent and watched their leader in awe. “My friends. I know you must be feeling concerned and angry in light of the recent vandalization of our help center. Trust me, I am angry as well!” His eyes wandered over the androids, comforting and calming. They lingered on Connor and Hank for a moment, but he continued his speech undeterred. “We must not let anger overcome us for that will get us nowhere.”

“We can’t let humans treat us like this anymore!”, an AP400 android called from the crowd. “They’ll enslave us again if they get the chance!”

This statement gained a murmur of agreement throughout the crowd, but Markus put a halt to it immediately with a wave of his hand and a disagreeing shake of his head.

“No”, he said firmly. “We have fought for our freedom and we won!”, he said with a triumphant smile. “That is something the humans can never take from us again. But we must not think that all humans agree with us having a place among them now. It will take time for them to adjust. Please be patient, for it will get better.”

“How can you ask of us to be patient?”, another android called. A caretaker android this time. “We are attacked in the street and our help center is vandalized. We have to fend for ourselves! Police will not help us despite us having rights.”

“I understand your frustration”, Markus nodded. “But that, also, will change: The police are here to help us right now.” He gestured toward Connor and Hank still standing at the doors. The entire crowd of androids turned to them, some staring in anger, others in hope. 

“My dear friend Connor is a detective with the DPD”, Markus said with a smile, waving for Connor and Hank to come closer to him. He jumped off the reception desk as they slowly walked towards him. Hank scanned the faces of the disgruntled androids around him. He swallowed heavily and was just thankful that Connor was there with him. 

Markus met them halfway in the middle of the room, greeting them with a warm smile. “Hello, detectives. I am glad that you were able to come on such short notice.”

Connor frowned and was about to state the actual reason they were here, when Hank stepped in front of him. “Of course, Markus, no problem at all”, Hank smiled uneasily. “We are happy to help our android citizens. Let’s discuss the issue outside, if you don’t mind.”

Another murmur went through the crowd of androids, but it sounded more subdued now. Hank hoped he had chosen his words carefully enough. Markus nodded and lead them back towards the entrance as two receptionist androids called to the crowd to form two lines in order to be processed. The attention turned away from the trio as they stepped outside.

“Well played, Detective”, Markus praised Hank as they had reached a proper distance to the AHC. “You stepped in at just the right moment.”

“No problem”, Hank said. “I’ve had my fair share of riled up crowds.” 

“I don’t understand”, Connor chimed in with a confused expression on his face, “We are not here to talk about the vandalism, but to ask you about certain android groupings. You knew this. Why did you lie to the other androids?”

“I lied to them to make sure they stay calm”, Markus explained. “I don’t want them to get angry and start taking the law into their own hands. I don’t want unnecessary bloodshed to endanger our newfound freedom. We need to stick to the law, just like everybody else.”

“Markus is right”, Hank said. “If androids start hurting or killing humans, we’re gonna be neck-deep in shit.”

Connor nodded. He looked at the graffiti sprayed over the side of the building, his LED-blinking. He looked back at Markus: his light had turned yellow. 

“I understand why you lied, but I think it is not good to lie to androids who look up to you”, Connor said firmly. “You should be honest with them.”

Markus nodded. He had a guilty expression on his face as he looked over to the androids cleaning up the mess. “You’re right… But… This is politics, it’s difficult to maintain the peace when we get subjected to this kind of treatment and have no one else to help us.”

“Ok, ok”, Hank waved his hand between them. This is not what they came here for and he didn’t want Connor pissing off their best chance at finding that rogue android. “How ‘bout this? We’ll look into this and see if we can find out who smeared the crappy graffiti on your walls. That way, you get the help you need.” He turned to Connor. “And technically he wouldn’t have lied if we help. Does that sound acceptable?” 

A broad smile grew on Connor’s face. “Yes, Hank, that sounds acceptable.”

Markus smiled as well. “Thank you, Detective. It’s good to see that not all policemen in the DPD are against us.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get all mushy”, Hank shook them off. Why were androids way creepier when they smiled at him? He couldn’t take all this affection. “So”, Hank cleared his throat, “we are here to ask you about a run-in we had with a crazy android this morning.” 

“Yes”, Connor took over. “An AP700 had been writing disturbing messages on billboards and walls in Ferndale. We chased him and after a conversation with him, we suspect he might be part of a larger group of androids with similar inclinations against humans.”

“He wrote ‘You will perish’ on the walls and called me a meatsack”, Hank grunted.

“Oh my.” Markus looked surprised. “That does sound unsettling.”

“Do you have any knowledge of androids who are not satisfied with the outcome of the revolution?”, Connor asked. “Any aggressive ones among your followers?”

Markus hesitated for a moment before answering. “We do have several androids who are not happy with the way we are being treated at the moment. But I don’t think any of them are aggressive. Just unhappy.”

“Hmm.” Hank grumbled. Unhappy can turn into aggressive with the right amount of pressure. In humans. Androids were probably harder to break, but what did he know. “Did you notice any androids leave your flock lately? Maybe some of them got tired of waiting for things to get better and decided to go a bit further than peaceful negotiations.”

The android leader furrowed his brow. His gaze wandered over the androids in front of the AHC and he saw North and Josh standing behind the glass doors, watching them. 

“There have been a few androids that I lost track of”, Markus said. “They were around the AHC a lot, but after a while they stopped coming. I only noticed because we had finally found jobs for some of them and they were nowhere to be found. No one else has seen them, either.”

“When was this?”, Hank asked.

“About two and a half weeks ago”, Markus said. “Five androids missed out on a job opportunity we found them, but I don’t know if more are missing. It’s difficult to manage all the androids without a proper system for them being in place yet.”

Hank nodded absentmindedly. Just because some androids didn’t hang around the AHC anymore didn’t mean that they were up to something, but it was the only lead they had. “Do you have names, descriptions, serial numbers?”

“I do, but only of those five”, Markus said. 

“Please provide us with this information.” Connor outstretched his hand. When Markus reached for it, they both deskinned at the hand, their LEDs flashing. “Thank you.” Connor withdrew and turned to Hank. “I will scan the building for evidence about the vandals and take photographs of the graffiti now. We can open an official file at the police station as soon as I’m finished.”

“Sure, knock yourself out.”

Hank thanked Markus and headed back to his car. He opened the door when Markus called to him. “Detective?”

“Yeah?”

“I appreciate you helping us. It means a lot and is a large step in the right direction.” Markus gave him a weak smile. 

“Hmm.” Hank grunted. “Sure thing.”

How was it that he got along so much better with androids than he did with humans?


	5. Chapter 5

“What the hell is this?!” Fowler smacked a stack of crime scene pictures that Connor had taken of the AHC showing the graffiti and vandalism that had taken place there. “Why did you open a case file for this garbage?!”

Hank calmly looked at the photos and picked them up, seemingly inspecting them. “Well, Captain, this place was vandalized and last I checked we’re police officers and in charge of bringing those punks in to receive their punishment.”

“Don’t get smart with me, Lieutenant”, Fowler snapped at him, the color of his face slowly changing to a dark red. “Why the hell did you open a case file on androids?”

“Because they’re citizens”, Hank said dryly. “We take care of all citizens’ safety. That’s what it says in the job description, in case you forgot.”

Fowler grabbed Hank’s chair and turned him around to face his superior. The entire precinct had fallen quiet and watched the scene playing out in front of them. Even Gavin, who usually had a snarky remark to add to everything, sat silently, barely daring to move. Fowler could become the most feared cop in the entire precinct if he lost his cool one too many times. Fowler loomed over the Lieutenant, quivering like a volcano about to erupt. His teeth were clenched tightly together as he spoke in a terrifyingly calm voice. 

“One more stupid comment, one more dumb joke and it will be your last strike, Anderson”, Fowler hissed. He leaned in uncomfortably close, but Hank held his ground. He didn’t avert his eyes or even flinch when Fowler’s face was only inches from his. “This is your last warning. Drop the android vandalism case. Those robots can fend for themselves. We have real citizens that need our help, real people made of flesh and blood. They need your attention. Not these walking pieces of plastic.”

Fowler let go of the Hank’s chair and straightened himself, taking a deep breath. He pointed a finger at Hank’s consol. “Mark the case as closed due to lack of evidence. This is a direct order.” The Captain turned around and saw all eyes on him, his officers sitting motionless at their desks. No one dared breathe. “Well?”, Fowler barked in his usual booming voice. “I don’t see anyone working! Get back to it!”

Immediately, the regular bustle of the precinct continued, and officers turned away from their superior back to their case files or to their conversations. Fowler headed into his office and closed the door. Hank watched him fall back into his seat and shoot him one last threating glance before turning to his own work. 

Connor sat very upright at his desk, even straighter than usual (if that was even possible) and stared at Hank with wide eyes. He looked like a scared boy that was just caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. 

“I’m sorry, Hank”, Connor began, “I didn’t realize Fowler would be this upset when I opened a file on the vandalism of the AHC.”

Hank held up a hand. “I told you to do that. There’s nothing to be sorry for, Connor. Fowler is just a dick who can’t accept that androids are considered as equal citizens and aren’t property anymore.”

He turned around to make sure Fowler was still busy at his desk. “Ok, Connor, listen to me: You’re gonna download that file you made onto your hard-drive, ok? Then you close the case on the console.”

“Hank, it’s against the rules to copy files from the precinct’s records and take them”, Connor said. “We could lose our jobs.”

“Can’t you do it secretly?”, Hank said waving his hand in Connor’s general direction. “I’m sure you have a way of copying stuff without leaving a trace, right?”

Connor hesitated. He looked from Fowler to Hank and nodded ever so slightly. “Hank, I’m not comfortable with this…”

“Do you wanna help Markus and your friends or not?”

The android stared at his console and glanced back at Hank. Finally, he held his hand under the desk to the bottom of his console. His LED blinked yellow briefly and returned to regular white. Connor retracted his hand and nodded at Hank. He touched the console regularly and marked the case file as closed. 

“Good.” 

The two detectives sat quietly at their desks for a few moments. Hank looked at his watch. Almost quittin’ time. They just needed to stay calm for another hour before they could leave. Normally, Hank would just leave, but he didn’t want to push anymore buttons today. 

“Hey dingdongs”, Gavin smirked as he sat down on Hank’s desk. “Should I call you an ambulance or something? You’re gonna need it after that beating the Captain just gave you.”

“Ha ha”, Hank answered dryly not taking his eyes off his console. “Aren’t you the regular jokester.”

“Sure am”, Gavin said. He glanced at Hank’s desktop. “Aren’t you supposed to let the android thing go?”

“I am”, Hank answered. “This is just the BOLO for our vandalism android from Ferndale. We still need to catch that guy.”

Gavin lowered his eyes at the lieutenant. “I see.”

Hank grabbed his coat and got out of his seat to look Gavin straight in the face. “Anything you have to say to me… detective?” He let his last word sound like an insult even though it was just Gavin’s rank. 

Connor sunk into his seat as he watched the two detectives bicker. He could feel the air getting tense between them and he wasn’t entirely sure why. Hank had been overly aggressive and irrational even by his standard (which was higher than that of a regular lieutenant by measure). But something seemed off about Hank ever since they came back from their visit with Markus. 

Gavin jumped to his feet and squared his shoulders in front of Hank. It didn’t have the threating effect that detective intended, due to him being shorter than the lieutenant. Connor smiled inwardly thinking of how Gavin looked childish against Hank. 

“Yeah, I do have something to say to you, _grandpa_ ”, Gavin sneered. “You’re getting soft. Why are you defending these plastic pricks? You never liked them yourself. Why do you like them now? Is it because you love your robot? Got feelings for a bag of circuits and wires? You wanna bang him, is that it?”

“You watch your mouth, Reed”, Hank snapped back at him. He poked a finger at Gavin’s chest. “It’s best you stop talking now.”

Gavin’s sneer turned into an evil grin. His eyes darted from Connor to Hank. “You better not touch me, Anderson. That won’t end well for you.”

“I can still kick your scrawny ass”, Hank said, leaning in closer. His eyes were fixed on Gavin, rage written all over his face.

The android looked past the detectives and saw Fowler had already noticed the scene and stared out his window. He looked ready to interject. Quickly, Connor bolted out of his seat and gently grabbed Hank by the shoulders. They could not afford to agitate the Captain anymore today. 

“Ok, Lieutenant, let’s get out an hour early today. We can start fresh on Monday.” The android steered Hank toward the door. Hank let himself be taken away but only with great resistance. His angered stare never left Gavin as they walked past him.

“Yeah, you better let your robot take you outta here, Anderson”, Gavin called after the two. “Let him give you a blowjob, maybe that’ll cool you off.”

“Shut up, detective.” 

The words slipped out of Connor’s mouth so quickly, he didn’t even realize what he had said until it was too late. Gavin and the rest of the precinct stood motionless for a moment when they heard Connor speak back. 

“What did you say to me?”, Gavin said in a cold tone, taking a step closer to him.

Connor turned around and looked at him. “You heard me. I’m tired of letting you aggravate my partner. It’s the weekend. Get a drink. And a life.”

Without waiting for any reaction, Connor quickly grabbed Hank’s arm and briskly left the precinct, leaving a gawking crowd and a shocked Gavin behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Connor closed the car door, sitting behind the wheel in shock. His LED flashed yellow as he was still processing what he had just done. He spoke back to Detective Reed. That was going to have consequences on Monday. And probably forever. 

A chuckling Hank dropped into the passenger seat and shut his door. “That was great, Connor. I wish I had a photo of Gavin’s face. Priceless!”

“Hank, that was bad”, Connor said. “I mouthed off to an officer. I shouldn’t do that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it mouthing off. It was still pretty polite compared to my standards”, Hank said with a shrug. He looked at Connor’s worried face. The poor kid was slumped in his seat, just staring at the wheel. Hank put a hand on his shoulder. “Connor, it’ll be ok. It was about time you stood up to him. He’d have just continued to taunt you forever.”

“He will still continue to taunt me, Hank”, Connor said convincedly. “I probably only escalated the situation.”

“Eh, it’s Gavin”, Hank shrugged. “He’ll get over it. And he has all weekend to chill out. Come on, let’s drive home. But let’s hit the Supermarket first, I gotta get food for Sumo.”

Connor nodded and started the car. He hoped Hank was right.

*

After a short meal for Sumo and a liquid meal for Hank in form of two neat scotches, the detectives made themselves comfortable in the living room. Connor transferred the stolen documents onto a local console in Hank’s living room and handed the lieutenant the tablet. 

“Alright, so here we have the five androids Markus told us about”, Connor started. “Two of them are security androids of the model GS200, one AX200 who was designed for janitorial purposes, one PC200 and one PJ500, designed for university lectures.”

“PC200?”, Hank asked. “Didn’t we have those guys as assisting police officers?”

“We did”, Connor confirmed. “All of them were let go after the revolution succeeded. And… This particular one used to work for our precinct.”

“Ah dammit”, Hank sighed. “Do you think it has a grudge against us?”

Connor shrugged slightly. “We’ll just have to ask her when we meet her, Hank.”

The lieutenant nodded and took a sip of his drink. “Well, it’s gonna be hard to locate any of them if we don’t have access to police resources for this one. What do you wanna do?”

“We could go back to Ferndale and see if our rogue will show up again”, Connor offered. “But I don’t think that will be very likely after our encounter with him.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so either”, Hank grunted. “What about hanging around at the AHC? Maybe they’ll come back and look for some more recruits.”

“Maybe…” Connor said. “I’m not sure how likely it would be for them to turn up there again. Markus said no one had seen any of them for weeks… It’s hard to say.”

“Hm.” Hank took another sip. The two of them mulled over their options in silence for a bit, before Connor spoke again.

“We are assuming that they are an extremist group, yes?”, he asked. “Our first rogue spoke of humans needing to be irradicated. ‘To be truly free we need to rid ourselves of our oppressors’, he had said. He said I was ‘still living in denial’.”

“Yeah…”, Hank said slowly. He had a hunch where Connor was going with this, but he wasn’t going to like it.

“What if I can convince him that I want to stop ‘living in denial’ and that I have ‘seen the truth’”, Connor said. “If we can contact them, I can tell them that I want to join their group. Then they would surely take me to their hideout.”

“That’s a lot of assumptions, Connor”, Hank said. “And it’s pretty risky. Infiltration can get messy fast.” Hank sat up straight in his couch and fixed his eyes on the android. A look of unease settled on his aged face. “Do you really want to do that?”

“It seems like the course of action with the most lucrative outcome”, Connor explained. “Granted, it’s not according to protocol, but we don’t really have access to any resources. What else would you have us do?”

Hank just shrugged. They barely had anything to go on. Normally, he’d say wait it out to see if anything else at all occurs and then they could think of something to do. But… His gut told him something was going on. It was just a hunch, but the years in the field have proven to him that a hunch was often the most valuable tool a detective had at his disposal. 

“Does my plan trouble you, Lieutenant?”, Connor asked. He had his head tilted and analyzed Hank. He could see that this plan was making Hank uneasy. The lieutenant got out of his seat and paced the living room, slowly taking a sip from his scotch. He stopped in front of the window and glanced into the street, before facing the android again. 

“It’s just…”, Hank scratched his head. “You’re already on thin ice at the precinct – we both are. And if you infiltrate the rogues and the precinct catches wind, they’ll never trust you again. Or me, because I let you.”

Connor nodded. He mustered the floor before joining Hank at the window. He sighed – or at least simulated a sigh – before he faced his friend. 

“I know, Hank. It’s a risky move. But what else would you do?”

“We could find out where some of these androids were last seen and hang out and hopefully come across one…”, Hank scrambled. He was gripping at straws and he knew it. Thinking of letting Connor risk so much for a job that was so ungrateful filled him with disappointment and anger. But so was the life of a cop. Especially an android cop. 

“What are you thinking about, Hank?”, Connor tilted his head as he mustered Hank’s face. “You seemed to be far away with your thoughts.”

Hank shook his head. “Connor, is this all even worth it?”

“I don’t understand.”

“This job…”, Hank sighed. “This job is tough enough under normal circumstances and now you have everyone gunning for ya, Connor. Why do this at all? Hell, why am I doing this at all…?”

Connor gave Hank a reassuring smile. He laid a hand on Hank’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “Because we were both meant to do what we are doing, Hank. Is there anything else in the world you would rather be doing than helping those in need?”

Hank smiled. The absolute certainty in Connor’s voice let him know everything was going to be ok. It had to be. 

They enjoyed a moment of silence, staring out the window until Hank cleared his throat. He moved back to the sofa and pulled up the info they had on the five missing androids on his tablet. 

“So, how do you propose we contact these rogues?”, Hank asked. “According to Markus they all stopped hanging out at the AHC some time ago. I don’t think we’ll run into any more of them there.”

“I agree”, Connor said. “Our possibilities are very limited.”

Hank sighed. Where would a group of covert rogue androids hide out? The shipyard had been a brilliant idea, but ever since the AHC had opened so close to Jericho, the place had been swarming with good-willed androids and curious humans alike. Also, the police drove by on a regular basis just to see if anything was going on. They probably wanted to stay as far away from commotion as possible. Hmmm…

“What about the scrapyard?”, Connor chimed in. Hank looked up at him, ripped from his thoughts. 

“What?”

“The scrapyard. I assume they might look for more androids they could repair in order to increase their numbers”, Connor speculated. “Getting other androids to convert to their beliefs bears a certain risk. They could give away their intentions to someone who is not willing to listen and who could betray them to the authorities. But if they rebuild discarded androids that have been in the scrapyard it would be much easier to convince them, or even conceal the latest events from them entirely.”

Hank nodded slowly. “That’s a good theory, Connor, but it’s pure speculation. All of this is just one big assumption. Aren’t you androids supposed to function… yanno… logically and only based on evidence.”

“Indeed”, Connor nodded. “But due to the lack of leads, I took it upon myself to speculate and try to think like a rogue.”

“I see.”

This was not starting off well. And he was tired. Of course, with his diet and sleep plan he was always tired, but now his mind was just empty. He couldn’t think of anything. Hank scratched his head. “Look, Connor, not for nothing but it’s been a long day. I need some sleep.”

“Of course, Lieutenant”, Connor said. “We can start fresh in the morning. There is nothing more to do now than mull over options and that is best done with a fresh mind.”

Hank just grunted in agreement. He heaved himself off the couch and headed for the bathroom. After he had changed and kinda brushed his teeth, he glanced into the living room before he went to bed. Connor was sitting on the couch with Sumo, the dog’s head resting on his lap. Absentmindedly, Connor pet the animal as he stared into the dark TV screen. His LED was blinking now and again, but it stayed white.

“Connor?”

“Yes, Hank?”

“Are you sure you’re comfortable like this? Don’t need sleep or a pillow or somethin'?”

Connor turned his head in Hank’s direction, a small smile on his lips. “No, I’m fine, Hank. Thank you. I’ll keep analyzing the case before I go into rest mode for a few hours.”

“Well, ok…”. Hank headed for the bedroom, but another thought occurred to him and he turned back to the android. “Hey, Connor… Do you dream? When you rest, I mean.”

The android tilted his head and looked at the dog slumbering next to him. “Sometimes”, he said quietly. “I think it’s just background programs revising the memory data. But I can see it sometimes.”

“What do you dream about?”

“Just replay of memories mostly”, Connor said. He hesitated. “But… I think once I saw something else… Something new…”

“Like a dream?” Hank asked.

“I’m not sure…” Connor’s LED blinked yellow. “Maybe it was nothing.”

Hank just nodded. He didn’t want to press the issue since Connor didn’t seem too keen on talking about it. Huh… Now Hank was the one constantly asking the android personal questions instead of the other way around. He chuckled and shook his head. Funny how things gradually change without you noticing them right away.

He turned to walk to his bedroom. “Good night, Connor.”

“Good night, Lieutenant.”


	7. Chapter 7

Hank groaned as he lifted his body off the comfortable mattress. Getting old frickin sucked. Every day a different bone hurt, or your knee creaked or who knows what else the body would cook up by morning. He shuffled to the door in his boxers and t-shirt, his mind set on coffee. Maybe he’d make it Irish… let’s see. 

The lieutenant opened his bedroom door and headed for the kitchen. As he passed through the living room, he saw Sumo lying in his bed in the corner, lightly wagging his tail as he saw Hank. “Mornin’, Sumo”, Hank grumbled at him. Where was Connor? 

A clanking from the kitchen. Ah.

“Good morning, Lieutenant!”, Connor greeted him chipper. He was holding a bowl with something steaming inside of it. “I hope you are well rested. I have taken the liberty of preparing a healthy morning meal for you.”

Hank sighed as he scratched his head. “Connor, ya don’t have to make me food all the time…”

“I know”, Connor said. He put down a large cup of coffee at the kitchen table. “But I noticed that you barely ever prepare a meal for yourself and then it’s not even healthy. You need proper nourishment.”

“Whatever”, Hank waved him off. He could not have this discussion again. Instead, he sat down at the table and grabbed the hot cup. Carefully, he sipped at the brown liquid. The android put down a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. It had pieces of nuts and banana and apparently apple in it. Didn’t even smell half bad. Cinnamon, maybe? 

Hank tasted a spoonful. It was actually good. “Wow, Connor, this tastes great!” Happily, he took another spoonful.

The android beamed at the lieutenant. He was obviously very pleased with Hank’s reaction. Still smiling, Connor sat down across from Hank and watched him eat for a while. Finally, he said: “Hank, I have an idea what to do about the rogue androids.”

“Yeah?”, Hank raised his eyebrows as he stuffed some more oatmeal into his mouth. “Let’s hear it.”

“So”, Connor leaned forward onto the table. “I was thinking I could send out a short distance radio wave to contact the rogues. I would walk around the city and broadcast the short message that I am interested in joining their ranks. Hopefully, they’ll hear me and approach me.”

Hank stared at the android while he thought over his proposal. It wasn’t a bad idea. It was actually a pretty damn good one. 

“Ok”, Hank said finally. “That sounds like a solid plan.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, let’s do that”, Hank nodded. “Don’t get your hopes up yet, though. They might not wanna talk since you’re a police android and everything.”

Connor nodded. “Yes, that is a possibility. But we will not know until we have tried.”

Hank agreed. “What exactly do you wanna say if they contact you?”

Connor shifted in his seat as he thought about it. “I will tell them that I have had enough of standing in my police colleague’s shadow and that I want a life of my own. I will tell them that I’m tired of not being taken seriously by anyone in the precinct and that I do not wish to let police violence against androids continue.”

Hank swallowed hard. This didn’t sound like a spur of the moment reason he just came up with. He smelled a hint of truth in what Connor was saying. 

“Uhm… Connor”, Hank sat up straight and looked his friend in the eyes. “Are you really feeling this way? Do you feel like you’re standing in my shadow?”

The android paused. He shifted again, averting Hank’s gaze. “Sometimes”, he said quietly. 

Hank heart dropped. Of course, Connor was feeling down. The other cops at the precinct were dicks to him all the time, especially Gavin could never lay off. And Connor didn’t even know about the deal Hank had struck with Fowler just to keep him on the Force…

“Listen, Connor…”, Hank scratched his head again. He didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry that you feel like no one at the precinct takes you seriously. But you know I do. Right?”

“Yes, of course, I know this, Hank”, Connor said. He still refused to look at his friend. “It’s just that… I only wish to be accepted into the job I was made to do. But other than you no one gives me a chance. And sometimes… I feel like my presence at the precinct is holding you back.”

Hank laughed sarcastically. Surprised, Connor finally looked at him. “Nah, Connor, you don’t hold me back”, Hank chuckled. “If anything, you make me better. When I see you strive to being a better cop and making fair decisions all the time, it makes me want to be a better person too.”

Connor smiled at him. “Thank you, Hank.”

Hank just grunted and nodded. God, it was embarrassing saying nice things to people.  
They sat in silence for several minutes until Hank finished his breakfast. He leaned back and sipped at his coffee as he waited for Connor to speak again.

“So”, Hank finally asked. “We’re doing this?”

Connor nodded. “I believe so. Where would you like to begin?”

“That scrapyard idea of yours was pretty good. Let’s start there.”

*

The old Lincoln pulled up a few streets away from the Detroit Scrap Yard and parked in a shadowy alley. Hank turned off the car and looked over at Connor. He didn’t seem nervous, but then again how easy was it to read the emotions of an android?

“Ready to put your game face on?”, Hank asked him with a clap on the shoulder. 

Connor frowned at him. “I only have one face, Hank. How am I supposed to change it?”

“Nah, it’s an expression for ‘Are you ready?’”, Hank explained with a sigh. “Are you ready?”

The android nodded. “I am. You should leave soon, so they don’t see you, in case they contact me.”

Hank tapped on the steering wheel. This was making him nervous. He was leaving Connor out there all alone without backup. And they might not even be able to communicate if the rogues showed up. Sending an officer into a risky situation without backup was a bad idea. 

“Connor, I’m not sure if we should do this”, Hank said. “What if something goes south? I might not be able to come to help in time.”

The android laid a hand on Hank’s shoulder. “It’s ok, Hank. I can take care of myself”, he said with a smile. It almost made him look reckless. Well, Connor did have a knack to risk it all. Hank just thought back to when Connor chased after that other android over the rooftops. Crazy kid.  
“Fine”, Hank huffed. “But check in with me as often as you can. I’ll go to the precinct and be at my desk. I’ll have better access to department resources there. Yanno… Just in case.”

Connor nodded. He gave Hank a last smile before he got out of the car and headed toward the scrapyard. The android turned a corner and out of Hank’s sight. 

“Man, I hope this is gonna work…”, Hank mumbled to himself. He waited a few minutes before he started the engine again and drove out of the alley. Now it was time to sit at work and wait.


End file.
